Nobel days

The celebration of the Nobel Peace Prize laureate starts with the 9 December press conference, peaks with the 10 December award ceremony, and is rounded off with the opening of the peace prize exhibition on the 11.

The Nobel Peace Prize is awarded on the day of Alfred Nobel’s death, the 10th of December, a time-honored tradition since 1901. The formal ceremony in Oslo City Hall gathers representatives of the Norwegian royal family, government and parliament representatives, corps diplomatique and other representatives from Norwegian civil society, in total close to 1000 guests. The Nobel Peace Prize banquet is held at the Grand Hotel in the center of Oslo, where the Laureate is often greeted by a torchlight procession in his or her honor.

During the Nobel days in December a number of events mark the occasion. On December 9, the Laureate gives a press conference at the Norwegian Nobel Institute, where he or she also meets the members of the Nobel Committee and Institute staff. In the evening, the Laureate is the Nobel Committee's guest at the so-called "little dinner" at the Grand Hotel. Shortly after the ceremony in City Hall, an internationally telecast interview with Al Jazeera is broadcast live from the same venue. On December 11 The Nobel Peace Prize Forum will feature top level speakers on world affairs in the University Aula. In the evening the peace prize exhibition opens at the Nobel Peace Center. The laureate usually attends this event.